CUTTACK: The condition of the road stretching from Link Road to Badambadi bus stand has gone from bad to worse with its proposed improvement and beautification plan hanging in balance for the last three years.
The 2.4 km long busy road which works as the entrance to the Millennium City gets waterlogged for several hours even after a brief spell of rain.
In the evening some parts of the two-lane road plunge into darkness due to defunct street lights, causing much inconvenience to commuters as well as locals.Besides, citizens face a harrowing time negotiating the road dotted with potholes, then add the stench emanating from unattended garbage on roadsides, with drains filled with slit.
The ordeal for commuters doesn't end here as illegal parking by buses is done along both sides of the road stretching from Madhupatana to Badambadi.
In 2019, then Housing and Urban Development Minister Pratap Jena who had reviewed the condition of the road and drainage system on June 7, had assured improvement and beautification of the road. He had directed all line departmental officials, including Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to beautify Badambadi area before the start of the Durga Puja festival.
The Minister had directed officials to remove all encroachments, clear illegal parking on the road from Madhupatna to Badambadi and carry out necessary work and convert it into a smart road. However, three years have already passed, nothing has been done so far towards improvement and beautification of the road.
A senior official of CMC said that the smart road project could not be implemented due to the ongoing Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded Integrated Sanitation Improvement Project carried out by OWSSB in the locality. "The work for improvement and beautification of the road will be taken up after handing over the area by OWSSB," said an officer.